This film is magnificent, it's on par with a studio film as far as the technical aspects. It's lit flawlessly, it's shot beautifully and the score is powerful. The wardrobe, props, hair and make up are all on point. It really brings you back to the civil war period. Now to the story, although intense, this is not an action film. What I mean by that is you have to be patient and let the story unfold and you will absolutely be rewarded. It's raw and dirty in a great way and it will pull at your emotions. The characters are fleshed out brilliantly, the writing is stellar all the way through. Now to the highlight of this film, the cast. I'm very familiar with Bill Oberst Jr. and I was once again pleased with what I saw. There is a certain genuine rawness to his performance and his turn in this film was no different. The entire cast is simply brilliant! I look forward to checking out what they do next. Under the guidance of writer/director Chris Eska, this journey cannot help but suck you in. Eska is someone definitely worth following. Bravo to the producers, keep your bar high.

It's 1864. Burrell is the harsh leader of a gang of bounty hunters tracking down runaway slaves. Will is a 13-year-old negro who is used as bait and spy to uncover the underground railroad. He relies on his uncle Marcus who is Burrell's slave. Burrell is looking for Nate who is digging graves for the Federals near Petersburg. Marcus and Will set off across the lines and trick Nate by telling him that his brother is dying. He agrees reluctantly to join them back across the lines but he doesn't really trust the two strangers.This starts with a compelling, murky, complicated relationship between Burrell, Marcus and Will. I would have loved to stay with the three of them together. The road trip offers some interesting complications of its own. However, it's not as great as the opening fifteen minutes. Nevertheless, it's an unusual compelling journey.

I sort of wanted this to be a lot better. It's definitely not a bad film, but it did test my patience together with the fact that it's not really doing anything all that original. Comparisons to 12 Years A Slave are bound to come up, and while the general setting is the same in terms of atmosphere (of course) it's really not the same film at all. The acting here is really good, even if so many of the characters come off as caricatures. Yeah, after the reviews I just wanted this to be better, but as it is, it's not bad. I think it's good, if just that, but the cinematography is really good for an indie and the overall production is too. The script has problems, but that's not entirely surprising.

I was initially hesitant to see this movie at first because I mistakenly figured this would be just another movie with the main focus on just the horrors of slavery , but I am glad I did. It does depict some of the aspects of slavery in America, but it also focuses on another aspect that was never or seldom covered in other movies. The interactions between the main characters; especially between Nate and Will, and their journey are what really make this film. It does have a couple of weaknesses in the story, but overall it is worth seeing.After the movie, we were treated to a Q & A session with Mr. Tishuan Scott, who plays Nate in the movie, which added more to understanding some of the background in the making of the movie.